This invention relates generally to management of assets and, more particularly, to network-based systems and methods for management and maintenance of plant specific data using an interactive database.
Maintenance and repair is a serious issue particularly in a regulated government industry such as a nuclear power plant which is contractually obligated to maintain strict compliance relating to product performance and safety. For a business entity involved in a regulated industry such as defense, aircraft or nuclear, the on-going maintenance and repair of key components is important to maintain the overall functionality of the system. In such industries, documentation relating to maintenance and repair requirements of various products are typically supplied to customers through a combination of hard-copy files separately maintained by individual managers and/or a service department. Product manufacturers also provide product related repair information through printed service manuals. Notifications of repairs, either routine repairs or emergency repairs are generally made by personal contact or through individual mailings. The information, however, is static, and thus becomes quickly out-dated. Events also occur in the field that warrant immediate attention which requires re-printing the information and re-distributing the same. The customers facing the problem in the field rely on the service manuals to analyze their product repair problems. Inadequate field documentation not only causes frustrations to the customers but often results in system shut down.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a network based system that provides useful up-to-date information to the customers without delay.